Sydney is Australia's oldest, largest, and most colourful city,
straddling
one of the world's finest natural
harbours. Its
superb surfing beaches and sheltered bays attract millions of
tourists every year.
On the other side of the world, the architectural
glories of Venice have long made it a jewel in the crown of
Europe. Built on a group of small islands in a lagoon at the
head of the Adriatic Sea, its intricate network of canals has
supported its citizens since the first century ad.
Bangkok, too, is a city of canals. Covering 560 square
kilometres, it was built on the banks of the Menam Chao Phraya
River, one of Southeast Asia's dominant waterways. The city's
comprehensive canal system is home to thousands of people who
live in floating houses.
The world's third most populous city is Shanghai,
strategically situated on the Huangbu River, on the east coast
of China. It is surrounded by rich agricultural land, but in
order to function, the badly polluted river has to be
dredged
frequently.
These four cities have two things in common: not only
are they
low-lying, but the rivers on which they stand flow into
nearby great seas or oceans. They and many other
conurbations
throughout the world (Santiago de Chile, for instance) could be
seriously
threatened if global warming continues at its present
rate: underground infrastructure ranging from railways to
sewers
is likely to be
overwhelmed, bridges put at risk, homes
inundated, and streets made impassable. |
straddling:
extending, occupying (ocupando) harbours: ports, where ships can take on or discharge cargoes
(puertos) dredge: dragged, remove with a dredge (usually from the bottom of a
river)
(dragado) low-lying: lying below the normal sea-level
(situadas bajo el nivel del mar) |
conurbation: urban community
(conurbano) threatened: in serious danger, menaced
(amenazados) sewers: cloacae, conduits that carry away sewage or surface water
(desagües cloacales) overwhelmed: inundated, flooded
(inundados) |
|